When The Lights Go Down In The City
Our concert picks for the week of 9/1-9/7.
Former Bare Jr. frontman Bobby Bare Jr. is helping us start September off right by dishing up his country and blues with dark humor at Bottom of the Hill this Saturday. Enter for your chance to win a Bloodshot Records prize pack including Bobby's From the End of Your Leash CD, plus Bloodshot stickers, temporary tattoos and a convenient bottle opener/keychain. (Our contest-o-tron will pick a winner on 9/7.)
We're beginning to see signs of a strong fall concert season. Tonight at the Rickshaw Stop expect some extra-special costumes and choreography for Hey Willpower's CD release party. Gold Chains & Sue Cie and Eats Tapes warm up the crowd. Another local release party happens at Cafe Du Nord, when Audio Out Send celebrates their new CD with openers Tomihira, Vernal Falls and Liam Carey. You can listen to the new Dandy Warhols CD Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars prior to its release on 9/13, courtesy of Popscene. Get there early for a chance to snag a free poster. Citizen Cope's not celebrating a CD release, but he is playing his laid back, good-time grooves at the Independent. Head to the DNA Lounge for the e US DMC Battle for World Supremacy and Team Finals, featuring QBert and his Rock Steady Crew, Jazzy Jay and more.
On Friday, the Modey Lemon and The Cuts tear up the Hemlock's back room and ABC plus Secret Synthi haul their vintage keyboards and synthesizers to the Red Devil Lounge. Hop on the BART Saturday afternoon to catch some cheap, cheap music over in Oakland. The Art and Soul Festival features great music all weekend, including Saturday's sets by Minipop, The Lovemakers, Pinback and Lyrics Born, plus jazz, blues and world music -- all for only $5. Bobby Bare, Jr. takes over Bottom of the Hill to deliver his blues-soaked rock and Crooked Fingers warms up the crowd with a solo set. The Rickshaw Stop celebrates a CD release for Jim Yoshii Pile-Up with Dudley Corporation and Ex-Boyfriends.
On Sunday the discount music at the Art and Soul Festival Oakland continues with Carbon Leaf, Aimee Mann, Blues Traveller and more jazz, world and blues. That night, Bella Vista featuring ex-members of Vue performs at Bottom of the Hill with The Strays and The Stranger's Six.
Fans of earnest, raspy-throated singer-songwriters will be at the Fillmore on Tuesday to see the John Mayer Trio and Ray Lamontagne for the first of two nights. At the Independent the Brian Jonestown Massacre plays with opener Richard Swift, whose debut double album is released that day on Secretly Canadian. Quirky and endearing, his music is described as "a kaleidoscopic trip aboard an intergalactic vaudevillian steamship with a speakeasy code-word." We think that means it's a little nostalgic and kooky.
Wednesday brings the burden of too many choices. Bimbos has cutting edge indie rock with Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Go Go Go Airheart and Tralala. Think of Tralala as Tilly and the Wall's hipper, slicker cousin from Brooklyn, but the co-ed vocals and celebratory spirit are all there. Tralala will be back in San Francisco next week so keep reading this column for a chance to win their CD. Slim's presents a poptastic show with The Posies, Oranger and Death Ray Davies. Let KALX take you back when they present Olivia Tremor Control at Great American with The Men featuring Hugh of Thinking Fellers Union 282. And if you're just plain broke, Mezzanine takes care of you by presenting their FREE California Homegrown Music Series featuring locals The Herms, Tartufi, and Ebb & Flow.
Image of Go Go Go Airheart by Chris Woo from their MySpace page.